Faculty

We have full-time and part-time (adjunct) faculty on Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Woodbridge, and NOVA Online campuses.

Full-Time Professors

Name:Dr. Christine Bozarth

Email: cbozarth@nvcc.edu

Campus: Alexandria campus

Educational background: BA, Zoology, Connecticut College

PhD, Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

Brief biography: Dr. Christine Bozarth is Professor and Chair of Environmental Science at NOVA. She started at NOVA in 2011 and has been teaching Environmental Science 121 and 122 for over ten years. Her research background is in conservation and population genetics of local canids. She has also done research on local herps. Dr. Bozarth is passionate about the environment and teaching at community college. Her favorite part of teaching at NOVA is student diversity. Her favorite part of teaching ENV is getting students excited about, and sometimes grossed out by, nature.

Herlitz Davis

Name: Dr. Herlitz Davis

Email: hdavis@nvcc.edu

Campus: Manassas

Educational background:

I am an Associate Professor at Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas campus, with a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy from George Mason University. My research has focused on parrot conservation and bird survivorship within Jamaica's Cockpit Country and Blue Mountain shade coffee ecosystems, respectfully.

My academic background includes a Master's in Zoology and a Bachelor's in Botany and Zoology from the University of the West Indies. My professional experience spans roles as a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, a Field Biologist, and academic instructor at various institutions. As an ornithologist and experienced naturalist, I am dedicated to sharing my passion for ecology and conservation with students.

Kirk Goolsby

Name: Kirk Goolsby

Email: kgoolsby@nvcc.edu

Campus: Annandale

Educational background: B.A. in Biology, Randolph Macon College
M.S. in Biology, George Mason University

Brief biography: When I was seven years old, I let a snake bite me on purpose. It was not venomous, and it did not hurt. That likely changed the trajectory of my life, and it certainly had a big impact on my love for organismal biology, particularly reptiles and birds.
In college, I took every Ecology course that was offered. After college, I worked as a researcher/biologist with geese. I became a pilot and was involved in an experiment which attempted to use aircraft to teach geese a novel migration route. The goal was to use that technique to reintroduce rare precocial birds (such as swans, geese & cranes) to portions of their historical range where they had been extirpated. My graduate thesis segwayed from this project. It focused on goose behavior and flight dynamics.
I started teaching at NOVA (Manassas) for the summer session, 2003. I have been teaching full time at NOVA (Annandale) since Fall 2004. Most of my teaching has been Biology, but has also included teaching Ecology, and Environmental Science (since c. 2022).

Outside of my biological interests, I am involved in finding and propagating rare native trees for dissemination in the area. Also, I like history.

Meredith Kintzing

Name: Dr. Meredith Kintzing

Email: mkintzing@nvcc.edu

Campus: Alexandria

Educational background: B.S. Biology with a Chemistry minor from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

PhD in Ecology from Old Dominion University

Post-Doc in Marine Biogeochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Brief biography: Dr. Meredith Kintzing is an experienced marine ecologist and science educator, having worked in coral reef ecosystems, salt marsh and seagrass communities, and marine biogeochemical cycling. Meredith loves the ocean and is passionate about ocean conservation. Additionally, Meredith is an experienced scuba diver and has twice lived in the Aquarius underwater habitat. Dr. Kintzing has taught all ages from children the importance of ocean conservation with Wildlife Conservation Society in French Polynesia to Aquatic Ecology at Columbia University. She has been teaching Environmental Science at NVCC for almost 10 years and loves helping her students understand and appreciate the world around them.

Elena Ortiz

Name: Elena Ortiz

Email: eortiz@nvcc.edu

Campus: Woodbridge

Educational background:

B.A. Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz

M.S. Biology, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Ph.D. Plant Biology, Arizona State University

Brief biography:

Elena Ortiz teaches Environmental Science and Biology at NOVA. She is a recent transplant from the deserts of Arizona, where she taught botany and environmental biology for over 18 years. Her research background is in ecology and evolution, plant community ecology and ecological restoration. Her personal life is ruled by two things: 1) any excuse to get outside and 2) being a mom. So in her free time she enjoys gardening, hiking, scuba, kayaking and travel. She loves visiting new beautiful places. She’s scuba’d on both the world’s largest barrier reefs, visited rainforests in Australia, the Amazon and Costa Rica, traveled solo across Mexico from Yucatan to Texas and solo from Greece to Great Britain. Her latest adventure involved driving across the U.S. with the husband and kid.

Greg Perrier

Name: Dr. Greg Perrier

Email: gperrier@nvcc.edu

Campus: Remote

Educational background: BS in Zoology, MS in Plant Ecology both from UCDavis, PhD in Plant Ecology from Utah State Univ.

Brief biography: I am an Emeritus Professor at NOVA. I have been managing NOVAs program in the virtual world called Second Life since January 2012. Students can download the free Firestorm viewer and engage in several activities with an Environmental Science focus. They can walk down the Kaibab wall of the Grand Canyon and study the geology and paleontology of its 11 strata. Since most NOVA students have never visited the Grand Canyon, many of them find this activity amazing. They can also collect data in 3 plots inside a Virginia forest and calculate several of the attributes of community structure. In one activity they look over the region and find the major groups of animals and in another activity find the major groups of plants. For each activity there is a handout that guides the student through the activity and has 15 to 20 questions at the end that the student should be able to answer when they complete the activity. Please contact me if you want more information.

Name: John Bozeman

Email: jbozeman@nvcc.edu

Campus: Loudoun

Name: John Christmas

Email: jchristmas@nvcc.edu

Campus: Annandale

Name: Tim Hadlock

Email: thadlock@nvcc.edu

Campus: Manassas

Name: Debbie Shaffer

Email: deshaffer@nvcc.edu

Campus: Annandale

Name: Nick Walker

Email: nwalker@nvcc.edu

Campus: Loudoun

Part-Time Professors

Name: Sara Marriott

Email: sara.marriott@nvcc.edu

Campus: Loudon

Educational background: BS in Marine Biology, MS in Coastal and Ocean Policy both from UNC-Wilmington and Ph.D. in Coastal Sciences from University of Southern Mississippi

Brief biography: Dr. Marriott is an Adjunct Professor at NOVA and has taught ENV121 and 122 from 2019-2021 and currently. Her day job is as a Foreign Affairs Specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration teaching fisheries law enforcement practices to international partners. Prior to that, she was a Knauss fellow with the US Geological Survey working on the nexus of science and policy in the Great Lakes. For her classes, Dr. Marriott hopes to instill critical thinking skills, wonder for natural resources, and the ability for students to discern what their impact is on the world around them. In her free time, she is a mom to a high energy toddler and 10 year old dog, and tries to get any chance to be by the ocean.

Name: Ryan McIntyre

Email: rmcintyre@nvcc.edu

Campus: Loudoun

Educational Background: BS Environmental Science, George Mason University. MS Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

I have been working as an ecologist, naturalist, and educator in Northern Virginia for most of a decade. As a field technician for the Smithsonian, I spent long field seasons in the hills and hollers of the Shenandoah Valley recording plant biodiversity, or out on the boat in the middle of the Chesapeake, tracking fish populations. As a research fellow with the Army Corps of Engineers, I worked to protect our state from invasive plants before they could take hold. I love doing what I can to engage new learners with the wild world we call home. You can keep up with my antics through my instagram, @mangyscientist (this is optional to include, your call).

Name: Krista Sharp

Email:ksharp@nvcc.edu

Campus: Annandale

Educational background:
B.S. in Environmental Earth Science from the University of Mary Washington
M.S. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University

Brief biography: I have taught environmental science as an adjunct instructor at NVCC since 2020. My goal is to foster an inclusive, judgment-free space where all perspectives are valued. I work to make environmental science accessible, helping students explore its many disciplines and develop informed opinions using scholarly resources. I'm passionate about adapting my teaching to diverse learning styles and providing tools that support all students. My environmental science expertise includes freshwater resources, biological and chemical monitoring, GIS mapping, restoration, and advocacy. I recently shifted my focus toward advancing my knowledge of energy-related issues and work as a Strategic Initiatives and Communications Project Manager at Leidos, supporting the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which develops innovative and sustainable energy solutions.

Name: Susan M. Smillie

Email: ssmillie@nvcc.edu

Campus: Annandale

Educational background:

B.S. Biology, Smith College

M.En. Environmental Science, Miami University

Brief biography: I have been teaching both Env 121 and 122 at NOVA since Fall 2018. Her background and experience includes working for over 35 years (and still work part-time) as a Senior Environmental Associate and Project Manager for various federal and state government and industry clients in the areas of: (1) energy development and power plant siting, permit and licensing support for coal, oil, gas, renewables (e.g., hydroelectric, solar and wind), and nuclear energy facilities; (2) environmental impact assessment on large-scale government projects - evaluating impacts on air and water resources, floodplains and wetlands, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, land use, noise, cultural/archaeological resources, transportation, waste management, and social/environmental justice and economic resources; and (3) environmental compliance - including the development of federal environmental regulations and related guidance and training documents to implement the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act. She still considers herself fairly new to teaching and is excited to share her knowledge and passions in the environmental field with her NOVA students!

Name: Kristina Brody

Email: Kristina.brody@apsva.us

Campus: Alexandria

Name: Jeanet Ewing

Email: jewing@nvcc.edu

Campus: Woodbridge

Name: Michelle Harris

Email: mharris@nvcc.edu

Campus: Annandale

Name: Meredith McCone

Email:mmccone@nvcc.edu

Campus: Alexandria